U.S. Senate candidate Kurt Bills announced Thursday he’s named former Republican state Rep. Dan Severson his Director of Minority Outreach.

Severson, along with Pete Hegseth, lost the Republican Senate endorsement to Bills earlier this year, but both have since announced their support for his campaign against first-term DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

As Severson campaigned for the endorsement he worked to build support among immigrant and minority voters, people he maintained Republicans have been overlooking.

Bills called Severson a “good friend,” and said he was proud to have Severson on his team.

“His dedication to preaching the conservative gospel to new voters comes from the heart, and goes well beyond any one election cycle,” said Bills in a written statement.

About the blogger

Mark Zdechlik covers politics for MPR News. He began his MPR career in 1986 while attending St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota where he earned a degree in Business Administration. Over the past nearly two decades, Zdechlik has been involved in covering virtually every major news story in the region.